United ready to offer Vieira escape route

Manchester United are understood to have made initial moves to bring Patrick Vieira back to the Premiership. Agents close to Vieira, whose club Juventus have been relegated to Serie B as part of Italy's far-reaching corruption investigation, said last night that talks between the parties are under way, with the proposed deal 'very much a live situation'. United, who are understood to be close to agreeing a £12m fee with Real Madrid for the sale of Ruud van Nistelrooy, have added Vieira - no friend of the Holland striker - to a shortlist of possible signings that still includes Lyon's Mahamadou Diarra.

Sources close to Vieira who owns a house in London, confirmed last week that he will leave Juventus after their relegation, imposed when the club, with Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan, were found guilty of influencing the appointment of match officials for matches during the 2004-05 season.

Ferguson is a long-standing admirer of the France midfielder and is thought to rate him among the best of a series of possible replacements for Roy Keane. Ferguson said last season that he missed the opportunity to sign Vieira before the player's move to Italy last summer. 'We'd been down that road so many times, where we'd been told he wanted to sign for United and then ended up staying at Arsenal. So I dismissed it, and then it became a reality when he left Highbury for Juventus. Whether Arsenal would have sold him to us is another matter.'

Vieira, also a target for Roma and Internazionale, revealed in his autobiography last year that he would contemplate joining United, despite his numerous run-ins during matches against the club, notably with Van Nistelrooy. 'When you are a player, you always look at the best,' he said. 'And that Manchester United team was the best in the country.'

Juventus, though, have said they will not sell their players cheaply after their relegation. 'We want everyone to be well aware that we are not a supermarket,' said Alessio Secco, the sporting director. 'It's not easy. We have received so many offers, especially from abroad. But it's better not to make too many changes and to have a strong squad, even if it's more costly than having to reconstruct it.'

Diarra, linked with an £18m move to Old Trafford since May, revived speculation about his future last week by criticising coach Gerard Houllier for claiming he wanted to stay at Stade Gerland.

'I don't allow anyone to talk in my place,' said the Mali midfielder, 25. 'I know the club relies on me and I rely a lot on the club. But today I'm open to any proposition.'